


summer comes winter fades, here we are just the same

by chesire (kierenwalkers)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, also...qpp kenhina idk if that was made clear enough, it's kenma's 3rd year and mostly everything is hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-06 22:58:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4239864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kierenwalkers/pseuds/chesire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“How about you set for me?” Kuroo smiles as he spins the ball idly in his hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	summer comes winter fades, here we are just the same

**Author's Note:**

> partially done for kuroken month but that just mostly ended up being a coincidence since ive been working on this for the better part of three months when i should have...been writing other stuff

Kenma’s third year is unlike any other. 

 

 

For one, he’s in his last year of high school, something that everyone else in his class is excited and nervous about, constantly chatting about what universities they want to attend and the preparation they’ve begun for the college entrance exams. 

It’s probably something that he should care more for, but Kenma finds that he doesn’t. Instead, there’s only the familiar apathy so he whips out his 3DS in response, resuming the new game he started in lunatic mode for Fire Emblem. 

 

 

The second is that he’s still on the volleyball team. Somehow, on the first day of his third year, Kenma’s feet end up bringing him to the entrance of the gym. He stands out there for a few minutes, watching balls being tossed and spiked, listening to the squeak of new sneakers against the gym floor. 

It’s Lev who notices him there, shouting his name, and Kenma freezes in his spot. The entire volleyball team is then at the door, familiar and unfamiliar eyes blinking owlishly at him, along with new ones. Of course, at this point he doesn’t really have any choice; instead he allows the overly enthusiastic second year to drag him onto the court (but refuses his pleas to toss to him after practice again). 

It doesn’t quite feel like home (now that’s someplace halfway across the city), but it’s close. And if anyone notices Kenma’s lips twitch upwards in a small smile, no one comments on it. 

The original plan he had made in his first year had been to quit once Kuroo graduated. He’s gone through being without Kuroo on a team once, and it was a terrible enough experience as it was. In his last year of junior high, Kuroo had somehow convinced him to stay on the team, insisting that the one year wouldn’t make any difference. It did make a difference (Kenma doesn’t think he’s ever felt so _alone_ despite playing a team sport) and really, sometimes Kuroo is too good at convincing him for his own good. That, or Kenma is too easily persuaded by the tall, lanky teen. 

But as the old third years left and Kenma’s second year came around, he found himself enjoying the presence of the volleyball team more and more. The first years were nice to him, the second years made sure to include him in everything, and the third years always had an exasperated but fond look in their eyes. And despite Kenma’s complaints to Kuroo about his overly dramatic and embarrassing speeches, he knows that the team needs him and Kenma likes the small, pleasant feeling it gives him. 

That had been the original plan (which was shaky enough as it was), and that plan had been scraped out completely once Kenma met Shouyou. For once, volleyball actually stirring a bit more than a minute interest. Shouyou was too bright, too loud, too _everything_ , yet Kenma found himself inexplicably drawn towards the orange-haired, bright-eyed boy. Shouyou was the sun, easily drawing Kenma into his orbit, and he thinks he finally understands the feeling Kuroo is always talking about. 

But even with Shouyou, Kenma still finds himself with last minute uncertainty, choosing to linger outside of the gym door. Though now, his original plan had long been tossed out the door completely, and Kenma finds that he doesn’t actually mind, even if his teammates are bit too loud and practice is lacking a certain someone. (Besides, that plan had been made two years ago, and plans change). 

 

 

The third (and biggest) thing is that Kuroo is in college. 

For the first time since he can remember, Kenma goes to school alone. There’s no one waiting outside of his door in the morning, and he no longer has any reason to look forward to the mornings (as well as the rare moments when he wakes up early to head over to Kuroo’s house and wait for him instead). 

The walk to the subway is lonely, there’s the severe lack of a tall volleyball captain next to him. There’s no sturdy hand placed on his back to guide him while he’s playing his games, no food being carefully nudged by gentle hands to his lips, no comforting presence to keep him steady as Kenma makes his way through the crowded city. 

His lap stays empty throughout the entire early morning bus ride, and there’s nothing to place his arms on as he plays with his phone (he ends up putting his backpack in his lap, because the absence of weight makes him feel exceedingly uncomfortable). There’s no place to rest his head when he’s tired except for on the window, and while subway rides were never the most exciting, they were never this boring and lonely before. 

Without Kuroo, there’s no reason for Kenma to stay late at practice. He bolts out of gym as soon as practice is over, evading all of Lev’s offers and attempts to get him to set for him. There’s no reason for him to sit on the bleachers, watching Kuroo practice his serves and spikes until he’s drenched in sweat and smells like old gym socks (Kenma wrinkles his nose whenever he pulls him in for a hug afterwards and it’s gross), no one pulling on his wrist and leading him onto the volleyball court with a ridiculous pout, and _just please set for me a few more times I want to perfect my personal time difference attack_. 

Kenma finds himself with more free time on his hands than usual. He goes home earlier on the subway, and everything is eerily quiet. Even at home, he can’t escape the lack of Kuroo. His room somehow seems colder and larger, and he’s unaccustomed to the absence of a sprawling teen on his bed while he does his homework and plays on his game console. 

At games, Kuroo is no longer there to stroke his hands through his hair before on the bus. He’s not there to quietly take Kenma’s hand when they walk into the gymnasium, loud roaring of unfamiliar people surrounding them as Kenma tries his best not to flee as his knees quiver. Kuroo isn’t there to whisper soothing words into his ears, stroke circles into his lower back, press small kisses to his forehead, nose, then the corners of his lip.

He’s also not there to make those ridiculously embarrassing speeches. The ones that make Kenma huff afterwards and toes curl from how _embarrassing_ Kuroo can be. Starting a game is unsettling without those speeches, everything feels just slightly wrong.

Kenma absolutely hates being a third year. 

 

 

The first time the whole ‘Kuroo is gone and Kenma is alone’ thing is brought up is during practice. They’re in the middle of practicing their receives and it’s Lev (of course it’s Lev, it’s always Lev. Kenma may secretly be fond of the gigantic second year but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely fond of his unfiltered mouth) who brings it up. 

“So, is Kuroo coming to visit?” Lev asks as he misses yet another receive. His eyes are wide and blink innocently at him and the ball bounces off the side of his head. 

“What?” Kenma’s heard nothing of Kuroo coming back. If Kuroo were to, he would have told Kenma first. 

“Because Yaku told me he’s coming soon, so you know. I thought that maybe Kuroo should come as well, and it could be like a whole reunion even though they go to different colleges now.” 

Kenma lips draw into a small scowl as Inuoka serves another ball. He positions his arms and sends it back perfectly. There’s a small twinge of annoyance and he’s not sure if it’s directed towards Kuroo or Lev right now.

“And,” somehow Lev is still going on despite the fact that they’re standing in the middle of a volleyball court practicing receives and Lev is _still_ atrocious at them. “Even though the other third years aren’t here we’ll have our old ex-captain and maybe we could go out to that new restaurant?” 

Before Lev can continue, Inuoka spikes another ball. It hits Lev square on the head and he looks around, dazed. Yamamoto shakes his head as he drags him by his collar and Kenma can’t be more thankful for a perfectly timed spike. 

 

 

The unsettling feeling still isn’t gone by the time Kenma gets back home. Instead, it’s only gotten worse and it sits uncomfortably at the bottom of his stomach. 

_please tell me you’ve gotten better at receives_ , he sends to Shouyou on the train, snapping close his 3DS. For once he finds himself unable to immerse himself in the game. 

_you bet!!1!!1!! we definitely aren’t going to lose to you guys at the next practice match._

When he gets back home, Kenma drops his backpack onto the floor and moves to his desk, opening his laptop and turning it on. It’s Friday afternoon, which means it’s Skype night. Kenma draws his knees to his chest as he waits for the call to connect. He’s greeted with a grainy image of Kuroo with his familiar bed hair, resting against the headboard of his bed in his shared room with Bokuto.

“Hey,” Kuroo greets lazily and it’s only slightly ridiculous how just seeing him can ease Kenma into a better mood. “I missed you,” he continues, smile on his face. (It’s a soft, genuine one, one that he rarely, maybe even never, sees directed towards anyone else. After so many years, Kenma is an expert at deciphering Kuroo’s smiles). 

“Stop being so embarrassing,” Kenma mutters as he ducks his head. 

Kuroo’s smile only becomes wider, turning into a full grin. “Aw, Kenma, you’re so cute.” It’s in his obnoxiously affectionate voice and Kenma can feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

Choosing to ignore the last comment, Kenma turns back towards the screen. “Apparently–” he begins but he’s cut off by a crash then a loud shout of what sounds remarkably like _Oikawa I fucking swear_. He flinches involuntarily, and Kuroo jumps up in surprise, nearly knocking over his laptop. 

“Hold on a second,” Kuroo tells him as he moves the laptop and hops off the bed. He walks over and nearly stumbles over something, head disappearing below the screen as he nearly falls. Knowing Bokuto and Kuroo, the something is most likely a volleyball, or a pile of dirty clothes. Kenma snorts. Drawing his knees closer, Kenma shifts until his chin is resting comfortably on them and waits for Kuroo to return. 

“Sorry,” Kuroo offers an apologetic smile when he returns, running a hand through his hair and messing it up even further. “Oikawa was being an obnoxious and trying to start something, as usual.” 

“So apparently Yaku is coming back to visit,” Kenma says quietly once the noise has clammered down on Kuroo’s end. His fingers absently follow the patterns in the wood of his desk. They stop on the cat sticker, one that Kuroo had bought him then stuck it on the desk himself when he was five. Kenma frowns. 

They’ve talked about this before. None of the instances have been particularly pleasant, and Kuroo gives him a sad sort of smile. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, Lev says he’s coming next week,” Kenma lowers his gaze to the keyboard for a moment and absently taps against his thigh. He shouldn’t feel this bitter about the fact that Yaku is coming to visit while Kuroo is still at university. He knows that in between volleyball and college it's difficult for Kuroo to find free time, even more so to find the time to take the subway to come and visit him.

(And even though Kenma’s schedule is so much freer than his, his breath becomes shorter each time he thinks of traveling to Todai without Kuroo. It causes his stomach to flip-flop, folding in on itself as his hands become sweaty. Kuroo knows this, and Kenma knows that he knows because never once has he suggested Kenma come to visit him and it makes Kenma feel just that much worse).

“I don’t think there’s a game next week,” Kuroo tells him with a slight frown, leaning back on his hands, “So I’ll be free in the afternoon.” 

“Are you going to skip a game?” he asks dryly. 

Kuroo pouts, “Well, it’s not exactly an official game.” Kenma raises an eyebrow at him. “I can do some maneuvering,” Kuroo huffs. 

“Maneuvering?” Kenma echoes. 

“Are you doubting my amazing persuasive skills, Kenma?” Kuroo puffs out his chest. 

“No,” Kenma snorts. He knows all too well how good Kuroo is at persuasion. Or maybe it’s just that he’s too easily persuaded. “Besides, I think Lev might drag us all out anyway,” he wrinkles his nose at the thought. If Lev is equivalent to an easily excitable puppy on his own, then with Yaku around he turns into ten excitable puppies. 

“Ask Yaku if he’s growing any taller for me, then.” Kuroo’s eyes are twinkling and he has a mischievous smile on his face.

“Tell Lev to do it,” Kenma mumbles. He doesn’t exactly have a death wish. There’s the unspoken I’ll skip it if you ask but Kenma doesn’t and the moment passes, just like all the others.

 

 

Shouyou comes several weeks after the new school year has started, after the trees have flowered and bloomed and Kenma is no longer sneezing every five seconds. With Coach Nekomata’s return and the previous practice match and training camp last year, in addition to the long awaited face off at nationals the old relationship between Karasuno and Nekoma had been reestablished. 

This means that Kenma has something to look forward to every few weeks, and that he gets to see Shouyou more often. _karasuno’s here for a practice match owo_ , he texts Kuroo as he sits on the bleachers in the gym, waiting for the other team to finally arrive. Lev is busy cajoling a first year into setting for him.

_shame i wish i was there :)_

_why so you can torment that glasses kid??_

_there’s that_

_and the other thing??_

_you’re always the most excited whenever you’re playing with shorty-kun and i just like seeing you whenever that happens like at nationals_

_stop being embarrassing_

_kenma is so cute ( ^ 3 ^ )_

Shouyou arrives with a loud shout. Kenma nearly drops his phone in surprise as he’s tackled and a set of arms wrap around his shoulders. “Kenma!” Shouyou shrieks into his ear, causing Kenma to drop his phone in his lap. One of the new Karasuno first years balks at the large noise and the intimidating staring contest that Yamamoto and Tanaka have begun. 

“Get off him, he’s not going to be able to play if you suffocate him.” Kenma looks up to see the dark, intimidating setter of the Karasuno volleyball club glaring at Shouyou. His face is set into a dark scowl and he has a hand resting on his hip. 

“Bah, Kageyama, you’re no fun,” Shouyou sniffs as he reluctantly untangles his arms from Kenma’s body. “I missed you a lot. You should see us now, we have so many new combos! We’re going to beat you guys today.” He’s thrumming with energy and has a wide smile on his face and Kenma finds himself smiling too. 

“I think we’re pretty good, we got better since last time too,” he mumbles and Shouyou’s eyes practically sparkle. 

“Dumbass, you aren’t supposed to tell them about our new combos,” Kageyama hisses as he hits the back of Shouyou’s head. He drags him away by the collar of his shirt back towards the Karasuno team with Shouyou engaging in an enthusiastic shrieking match with Lev.

Kenma can feel himself slowly shrinking from the sheer intensity Kageyama radiates and the influx of new people in the gym. He doesn’t know how Shouyou can deal with someone as intense as him. But then again, Shouyou is probably just as intense, only a lot less scary. 

He makes his way over to where his team is standing. Yamamoto is giving the usual pre-game pep talk, the one where he gestures wildly to the rest of the team, loud voice blaring and riling up the rest of the team. Lev is bouncing up and down (It’s a scary thing, considering how much he towers over the rest of them, the past year has only increased his height), and Inuoka has a bright gleam in his eye.

“Remember, we’re like the blood in our veins.” Yamamoto claps Lev on the back and the gigantic second year is startled into standing up straight. “We must flow without stopping.” 

There’s a pause and Kenma looks up from where their fists are all gathered at Yamamoto who nods expectantly at him. 

“Does our vice captain have anything to say for our first practice match?” he’s looking at him expectantly, with a large grin on his face. 

Kenma’s throat feels parched as everyone’s eyes are trained on him. He can feel his palms beginning to sweat and he wipes them on his thighs. The first years are looking at him with wide, eager eyes and Lev blinks back at him. 

“Uh,” he looks back at Yamamoto and fixes him with the dirtiest possible glare before turning back around, “Just… keep the oxygen moving and your mind working,” Kenma mumbles. His ears feel hot and he’s glad he has long hair to hide them. 

Yamamoto lets out a loud roar and the rest of the team immediately joins him. Kenma feels completely mortified from a speech he’d often asked Kuroo to stop using. It’s so positively _embarrassing_ and he’s not even sure why Kuroo made it a thing. 

(But something seems to click, the atmosphere of the team shifts, and even though it’s a different sort of feeling Kuroo gave during his cringeworthy pep talks, it feels just right). 

Thankfully, no one seems to notice and Yamamoto leads them away to the court, the rest of the team following. 

“A nice first speech from our vice captain,” Yamamoto flashes him a thumbs up before engaging in a pre-game roaring match with Tanaka. Kenma winces at the loud ruckus the two are already causing. 

“Somehow when you say it, it’s even more inspirational than Kuroo,” Lev says from behind him. “I think you should give the pep talks from now on, they’re so much better whenever you say them.” 

“Shut up,” he mumbles as he follows Lev onto the court. “I’m never doing this again, it’s so embarrassing.” 

 

 

They end up winning the (multiple, courtesy of Lev and Shouyou’s insistence) practice match. Kenma feels weary afterwards, unused to such intense practice matches. He leans his head against the wall, wincing at the dull pain in the palms of his hands and balls of his feet. It’s always like this whenever he plays volleyball with Shouyou, but he can’t exactly say that he minds.

“Next time,” Shouyou tells him with the utmost conviction as he flops down next to him, “We’re going to beat you for sure.” His hair is completely soaked with sweat, matted to his forehead, but his eyes are glowing. 

Kenma smiles. He can feel his fingertips quiver at the thought of their next match against each other. There’s something terribly exciting about playing with Shouyou, and he can’t quite place it. Ordinarily, the inability to categorize his feelings bugs him, but not this time. 

“And next time you come you have to come visit me! We can get ice cream and I can show you the countryside,” Shouyou wraps his arms around Kenma’s waist and it’s disgusting and sweaty but Kenma is too tired and lazy to push him off. 

“Okay.” He has no idea when their next practice match is, or even if they’ll have one before the next summer training camp.

“You can finally come and see Natsu and we can all play volleyball together in my backyard. I have this net set up even though it’s kind of hard to play by yourself since Natsu can’t really play yet.” Kenma pouts at that. When did he ever agree to play volleyball with Shouyou? (But he knows there’s absolutely no way he can refuse either way). 

“I’d like that,” he tells Shouyou. By the time Karasuno leaves, his chest feels slightly less heavy. 

 

 

The habit first starts in his first year of high school. (Though technically, it begins sometime in the middle of junior high and only becomes more of a regular thing in high school). It develops because of the third years on the team. 

Kenma really doesn’t like the way they boss him around, even though they’re just two years older. He hates the way they look down on him, looming above him as they make him clean up late once more. 

There’s also the way they’ll quietly sneer behind his back (and in his face when Kuroo isn’t in the same general vicinity) whenever he talks and trips over his words in front them. More than once he’s gone to the locker room and found the contents of his bags strewn across the entire floor. 

As a result, Kenma begins to skip out on practice in effort to avoid the third years. He only does it once a week, twice if the previous week was a little bit worse than usual. 

The first few times he goes to bathroom to hide out. He sits on the small wooden shelf in the corner, quickly ducking into the stall whenever another person comes rushing in. There’s no way to describe the experience but terribly awkward and even more nerve-wracking. 

It takes several tries, but he eventually finds the perfect hiding spot. It’s outside, the small juncture where the stairs and brick wall meet. It’s perfect because hardly anyone walks by and he’s left alone to play his PSP. 

Most of the time it’s calming. Kenma gets to play his games in peace and quiet and he spends the entire afternoon undisturbed by the third years. Sometimes, when he hides out in an unlocked classroom, he uses his sports bag as a pillow and takes naps. 

Usually, it’s Kuroo who finds him, smiling down at him (his fond, exasperated-with-a-touch-of-melancholy smile) and ruffling his hair. Sometimes he tugs on his hand and brings Kenma back to practice immediately. Other times he sits down next to him and rests his head against his shoulder, watching him play for several minutes before slowly leading him back. 

It’s something that persists into his second year, and in his third year it becomes a bad habit that Kenma isn’t too inclined to put an end to. His feet end up leading him down the familiar hallway, taking a left instead of a right, until he’s outside. 

Nestling between the concrete stairs and brick wall, Kenma takes out his PSP and begins to play. His phone vibrates not even five minutes later and he opens it to see a text from Kuroo. 

_are you… skipping practice again??_

_...how’d you know_

_because we’re soulmates and have a special bond~_

_stop it, kuro_

_captain’s intuition. have fun playing your games, just make sure you don’t accidentally miss the subway_

Kenma smiles to himself as he draws in his knees and restarts his game. It’s how it always goes down whenever he wanders off on his own now, silently texting Kuroo who doesn’t reprimand him, only indulging him by texting him back in whatever class he’s in, or letting him use the time for extra game play. 

Still, there’s something that feels entirely off whenever Kenma sits in his small corner. The aching feeling in his chest won’t disappear, and Kenma looks down to find that his character has been killed, again. He sighs as he silently restarts his game and ignores the feeling in his chest. 

Sometime later the door creaks open in what Kenma assumes is meant to be a subtle way. There are footsteps, loud and full of energy as they make their way down the stairs. They’re completely different from the ones he’s used to, quiet and stealthy. Kenma doesn’t look up from his PSP, only turning the volume even louder as he draws the game console closer to his face. 

“What game is that?” Lev queries as he squats beside Kenma, peering over his shoulder to get a better look at his game console. 

Strange. Usually Yamamoto sends Fukunaga or Inuoka, or sometimes even comes himself. It’s rarely Lev. 

“Some game,” Kenma replies quietly. It’s one of the many odd games Kuroo had bought him as a sort of compensation for asking him to go to a volleyball game, even though Kenma had told him repeatedly that he didn’t mind going. Not really anyway, as long as it was with Kuroo. 

“Did Kuroo buy it for you?” Lev leans over even further, chin nearly touching his shoulder and Kenma nods in response. 

They sit like that for a few minutes, long enough for Kenma to beat the boss of the current level and go on to the next one. It’s oddly reminiscent of the way Kuroo sometime watches him play, chin hooked over his shoulder and arms wrapped around his stomach as he observes him play with an uncanny likeness to a cat. 

Lev is surprisingly quiet as he sits next to him, arms crossed over his bent legs as he attempts to make himself as small as possible to fit himself in the cramped space next to Kenma. He doesn’t ask any questions, unlike Shouyou whose nature doesn’t allow him to sit down for more than ten minutes at a time. 

He can tell that there’s something on the other boy’s mind though. Not even fifteen minutes later, Lev begins to shift his weight from one foot to the other, squirming as he constantly readjusts his position. Kenma sighs inwardly as he saves his game. 

“Yamamoto told me I had to bring you back in fifteen minutes,” Lev blurts out. Kenma turns off his PSP. 

“It’s been twenty,” he remarks casually. He leans over to grab the strap of his gym bag, pulling it closer to him. 

“He said he was going to make me run laps again if I didn’t bring you back on time again,” Lev pouts as he puts his chin on top of his knees. The giant second year has managed to someone curl himself into a somewhat smaller ball and his face twists as he sticks out his tongue. “It’s not fair, Inuoka never has to!”

Kenma puts the his PSP on top of his bag and turns around so he’s facing Lev and resting against the concrete staircase. 

“But you looked so,” Lev trails off as he scrunches his face, looking for the right word. “Lonely and small. Yeah, even smaller than Yaku is.” 

“I don’t think Yaku would like you calling him small,” Kenma deadpans as he fiddles with his zipper. It’s broken; he should probably get it fixed sometime soon. 

“He won’t know because he’s not here. But Kenma, you know we’re all your friends too, right?” Lev is peering at him with unblinking eyes and Kenma balks at the intensity. 

Ducking his head to the side, he mutters, “Of course I do.” Kenma may not have a lot of friends, but Nekoma’s volleyball club feels almost like a second home to him. He wouldn’t have continued to play volleyball if that weren’t the case. 

“Then why do you keep acting so distant? I know I’m not Kuroo, and the rest of us won’t ever understand you the way he does, but we care about you too.” Lev’s eyes are shining with an intensity that Kenma has only ever seen when he practices volleyball. He can feel his cheeks turning warm, and he thanks whoever blessed him with the gift of not turning red in most circumstances. 

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Kenma stands. “Let’s go before Yamamoto makes you run laps again.” He moves towards the staircase, but Lev has bounded up and his arms are wrapped around his waist, engulfing him in a bear hug. 

“You just seem so lonely. I care about you, Kenma, the entire team does too. We just all want you to be happy.” Lev’s grip only tightens around his waist and Kenma tries his best to fight the surge of emotions threatening to burst out of his chest. “We’re your friends too,” he mutters so quietly that Kenma almost doesn’t catch it, like an afterthought. 

Haiba Lev is only slightly more infuriating than Kenma had previously thought. “Can you let go of me, I can’t breathe,” he says, voice only cracking slightly at the end. 

“Sorry,” Lev quickly untangles his arms from Kenma’s waist. He’s looking at down at him with the same, slightly disapproving glare that Yaku gives to the rest of the team (what Kuroo secretly dubs his “mom” glare). “You aren’t allowed to keep to yourself all the time anymore. Wait, where are you going?”

“Back to practice,” Kenma replies, holding open the door as he waits for Lev to catch up with him. “And to convince Yamamoto not to get you to run those extra laps.” 

Lev’s face is practically lit with glee and he nearly knocks Kenma over when he jumps over to engulf him in another hug. 

 

 

“How’s my favorite vice captain?” Kuroo grins at him widely from the dimly lit computer screen. Crashing and clattering of something filters through Kenma’s earbuds, and Kenma isn’t sure how Kuroo can live with such rambunctious roommates. 

“Technically, I’m not _your_ vice captain, I’m Yamamoto’s,” Kenma sniffs. 

“I can’t believe you’re following in my footsteps,” Kuroo ignores his previous comment as he pretends to sniff. “I’ve always thought you’d make an excellent vice captain.” 

Kenma blinks. 

“You _don’t_ mind being vice captain though, do you?” Kuroo asks, dark eyes narrowing slightly as hesitance creeps through his voice. 

“Of course not,” comes his slightly muffled reply through the sleeves of his shirt. “Why would I?” He doesn’t mind too much, really. Being vice captain isn’t too different from all the times he’d helped Kuroo last year, just requires a bit more talking he could maybe do without. 

“Just making sure,” Kuroo huffs slightly. He brings a hand up to comb through his hair, messing it up even further. “I don’t want you to do something you don’t like.” 

“I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t like it,” he murmurs and Kuroo’s eyes light up with happiness. “Besides, isn’t it a bit too late to be asking that question?”

 _I just like it a bit better when you’re here_ , goes unspoken.

 

 

Kenma’s friendship with Akaashi Keiji evolves thanks to a strange mix of Bokuto and Kuroo’s odd and unlikely friendship and a mutual, fond sort of exasperation for the antics of the two older boys. 

It begins when they’re both sitting at the side of the court, Kenma with his phone and Akaashi with fondness hidden behind his neutral, bordering-on-exasperated look as Kuroo and Bokuto sprint to the cafeteria to engage in some sort of watermelon eating contest. Each time Kuroo and Bokuto run off to do something even more ridiculous than last time, Kenma and Akaashi both end up with each other. 

Of course, with the two older boys as friends (Kenma’s still not entirely sure how it happened, all he knows is that it had something to do with a missing volleyball, a fork, and apple sauce) there’s really no way Akaashi and Kenma _can’t_ be friends, not with the way Kuroo and Bokuto enthusiastically drag them towards each other. 

Akaashi’s presence is a nice sort of thing. Kenma doesn’t usually like talking, and with Akaashi he never has to worry about pointless small talk. The two of them are able to sit with each other in silence, a sharp contrast to the rowdy behavior of the older boys. It’s comforting, knowing that the other person doesn’t expect him to talk all the time (and when they do, knowing that there’s one other person out there with an equally ridiculous, if not even more at times, captain. Finally, someone who _understands_ him). 

When they arrive at the summer training camp (somewhere in Kenma’s mind it registers that this is his last training camp and nostalgia surges in his chest. It’s also his first training camp without Kuroo, but that goes without saying), it’s to the familiar bustling of multiple schools attempting last minute checks all at once. 

In the midst of all the bustling managers and coaches, Kenma quietly slips away to the side of the building, where he’s often wandered off too. 

_just arrived at the training camp_ , he texts Kuroo as he settles against the concrete wall, unzipping his bag and pulling out the soda he got from the vending machine earlier. 

_:O has shorty-kun arrived yet. i know you’ve been looking forward to see him for a while._

_not yet. shouyou says they’re still on the bullet train._

_too bad we have our training camp right now too. otherwise i could come and play it’d just be like old times._

_i’m not sure we need a repeat of last year…_

_last year was great, bokuto and i are hoping to do something similar to that this year._

_i hope your managers are nicer than fukurodani’s when that ends up happening then_

_urgh his royal highness is calling. can’t keep the grand king waiting now can we?_

_have fun_

 

 

It’s brought up when they’re in the middle of practice with Fukurodani. Akaashi casually sets the ball as he asks, “How has Kuroo been?” 

Onaga spikes the ball and Kenma almost forgets to jump to block it. He tunes out as Yamamoto calls him out on his lack of effort and moves with the rest of the team to the sidelines for their break. 

“He’s fine,” Kenma replies as he greedily sips from his water bottle. He hates the summer– the weather is too hot for his liking and playing volleyball only makes it worse. 

Akaashi peers at him with an indiscernible expression and can’t help but squirm. It feels like he’s being scrutinized and he hates it when people look at him too closely. 

Wiping his forehead, Akaashi says, “It’s too bad neither of us are able to keep an eye on them. You’d think with Sawamura as their roommate they’d be a bit more in line.” 

“It’s probably because they have Seijou’s old captain,” Kenma mutters as he sits down on the linoleum floor, fanning himself. His water is lukewarm at this point and he makes a face as he continues to sip it. 

“Shame Sugawara isn’t their roommate, I heard he can be pretty intimidating.” Akaashi’s says, almost wistfully. 

Kenma gives a small snort. “Shouyou says that he can be even scarier than Kageyama at times.” 

Sitting together, they lapse into a silence. Lev is busy trying to get one of Fukurodani’s first years to set for him and Kenma feels bad for the kid; the second year can be extremely overwhelming whenever he’s set on something. Inuoka follows behind him, not one to be left behind, especially when it comes to competition with Lev. 

“You know,” Akaashi says after awhile, when their break is drawing to a close, “I’m going to go visit Bokuto before Todai officially goes on break. Would you like to come with me?” 

Kenma freezes for a moment. Fukurodani academy is much closer to Todai than Nekoma High School is. It’s only a twenty minute subway ride and Akaashi goes there nearly every other week. Kenma knows this because Kuroo always ends up complaining about Bokuto ditching him and leaving him alone in the dorm, with Daichi and Oikawa both out. 

Throat dry, Kenma responds, “I think I’m okay.” His palms start sweating and he wipes them on his thighs. He really hates how this happens every single time. (Kuroo reassures that him it’s alright, through texts and Skype calls, that he’ll come and visit when he’s gets a break from both university and volleyball).

Akaashi tilts his head to the side and there’s the slightest frown on his face. “I go every other week, when I can. If you want to come sometime, just tell me.” 

“Thanks,” Kenma mumbles, “Kuro is coming to visit soon, anyway.” 

The end of break has never been more well-timed and the subject isn’t brought up for the rest of the training camp, which passes just like any other year. 

 

 

True to his word, Kuroo comes to visit after the Todai volleyball training camp is done. 

It’s nothing loud or unannounced, but Kenma wakes up that morning to find his phone filled with almost thirty messages, each containing something along the lines _finally coming home to see my precious kenma~_ filled with an equally ridiculous amount of cat emojis. 

He finds himself smiling at his phone, throwing off his blankets as he sends a quick text to Shouyou ( _kuro’s coming_ ) as he takes the stairs down, two at a time. 

Kuroo already there, seated at the table next to his mother. His lips are pulled back to reveal sharp, pearly white teeth and his cheshire-like grin only widens when he sees Kenma come down. Kenma slips into the chair next to Kuroo as Kuroo slides a bowl of rice soup towards him. 

“Thanks,” Kenma murmurs and begins to idly spin his spoon in his soup. Silently, his mother gets up from her chair and pushes it back it. She gives Kenma a small pat and his back and he huffs. 

“I missed you,” Kuroo says as soon as she’s out of the room. He leans over and wraps his arms around Kenma’s waist, pulling him closer to his chest. His grip is loose around his waist and from here Kenma can smell the soft scent of shampoo that Kuroo uses. 

Turning around, Kenma tugs at a strand of Kuroo’s hair. “Green apple?” he asks, feeling the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

“Maybe,” Kuroo says into his ear and Kenma makes a small noise of contentment at the vibrations he feels. Kuroo presses a kiss to his hair before taking the spoon out of his hand and stirring his soup for him. 

“I missed you, too,” Kenma turns around to murmur into Kuroo’s chest. He doesn’t need to look up to see Kuroo’s smile.

 

 

“Why are we out again?” Kenma grumbles, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He attempts to ignore the sun beating down on his back and casts a longing look at the ice cream stand. 

“Because Yamamoto wanted to have a reunion dinner, remember?” Kuroo answers, combing a hand through his hair while scowling slightly. “He said it was to be a congratulatory party for Yaku and me making it halfway through the first year of college, or whatever.” The only consolation Kenma has right now is that Kuroo looks ridiculously sweaty as well. 

He huffs and tries not to balk at the heat. “Why couldn’t we driven to his house?” Kenma pouts. It’s way too hot and he feels like he’s about to melt from the heat. He hates the summer.

“It’s a only ten minute walk, Kenma,” Kuroo sighs fondly as he leans over to muss his hair, the gesture affectionate. Kenma frowns and continues to walk. 

“Only a ten minute walk when it’s thirty-one degrees outside,” he mutters. They pass by another ice cream shop and Kenma gives it another longing look. 

Kuroo stops abruptly, grabbing Kenma’s arm to keep him from walking into a lamp post. Kuroo walks up to the ice cream stand, fanning himself as he does so. Kenma watches him, blinking when Kuroo returns with an ice cream cone. 

“Thanks,” Kenma says, taking a lick and relishing the coolness it brings. Kuroo shrugs and continues to walk. Kenma can see the smile beginning to form out of the corner of his eyes. 

By the time they reach Yamamoto’s house, Kenma is done with his ice cream. He stands next to Kuroo, licking the last bits off his fingertips as Kuroo rings the doorbell. 

The door swings and Lev runs out with his arms wide open, engulfing Kenma in a hug. “Kenma, you came!” he laugh, tightening his hold on the setter. “I didn’t think you would actually come.”

“Yeah,” Kenma manages to choke out. He squirms in Lev’s grasp; the proximity of the second year doesn’t help with the summer heat at all. Looking up, Kenma gives Kuroo a desperate look.

“If you hug him any tighter you’re going to strangle him,” Yaku says dryly as he walks up behind Lev. Stepping up, he yanks the second year back by the collar of his shirt. Lev wheels back with a large yelp and Kenma fans himself as he walks inside to the cool relief of Yamamoto’s house. 

 

 

As soon they’re lead by Yaku to where everyone else is (it’s outside, why can’t they just stay _inside_ for once), Kenma finds the quietest corner underneath the shade. 

It’s too hot and he pulls out his 3DS and continues to play the new Animal Crossing. No one comes near him, all the attention focused on Yaku and Kuroo. Kenma breathes a small sigh of relief. As much as he loves his team, sometimes being around them can be a bit strenuous. 

Sometime later, Kuroo saunters up to him. “It’s time for dinner,” he tells Kenma, moving to sit beside him. 

“Are we eating outside?” Kenma asks, not looking up from the small screen. Kuroo hums in response and hooks his chin over Kenma’s shoulder. “It’s going to be hot if we all sit next to each other, though.”

He still allows Kuroo to drag him up after he saves his game. 

They’re seated so Kenma is next to Kuroo, with no one on his other side. Even with this seating arrangement, Kenma still thinks it’s too hot. His elbow is being constantly jostled whenever Kuroo leans over to grab food (for him, but still) and when he laughs too hard. 

Opposite of him is Lev, whose knees constantly bump into his at the slightest movement. He’s too fidgety and can’t sit still for more than five seconds, just like Shouyou who has to be constantly moving. “Sorry, Kenma,” Lev apologizes for the seventh time in the past forty-five minutes when he accidentally kicks Kenma in the shins, again. 

Kenma stays seated as the others finish. He curls up in the plastic chair, ignoring the way his legs want to stick to the chair, and pulls out his phone to text Shouyou. 

“Do you want to join our game?” Shibayama inquires as he pushes in his chair. Kenma gives a slight shake of his head and Shibayama leaves him to join the other second and third years. 

“You should set for me,” Lev bounds over when the ball is hit out. The volleyball lands on the table in front of Kenma. “It’s only fun when we’re all playing.” 

“Not now,” he mumbles, looking back down at his phone, even though Shouyou still hasn’t replied yet. 

Lev visibly deflates, and looks as though he’s about to ask Kenma again before Yaku drags him off. Kuroo looks up to make eye contact with Kenma and Kenma glares at him before he turns back to look at his phone. 

“How about you set for me?” Kuroo smiles as he spins the ball idly in his hands. Kenma frowns and looks up at the sun before turning back around. “For old time’s sake?” Kuroo asks once more, and this time Kenma scowls at small tug in his chest. 

“Fine,” he mumbles, and tucks his phone into his pocket. 

 

 

Kenma is curled comfortably on Kuroo and a pillow when he’s gently shaken awake. He blinks his eyes open to see Kuroo hovering over him, with an apologetic look on his face. Pressing the heel of his palms to his eyes, Kenma wearily sits up. 

“Do you have to leave?” he asks, looking down at his PSP. Kuroo must have saved his game for him when he’d fallen asleep while playing it. 

“Unfortunately,” Kuroo hums as he strokes his fingers through Kenma’s hair. It’s gentle and soothing and Kenma feels himself slowly being lulled back to sleep. “Remind me to help you re-dye your hair when I come back,” Kuroo inspects a strand of his hair.

“Or you could just stay and do it right now,” Kenma mutters. Kuroo pulls him closer to his chest and Kenma breathes slowly, trying to match his breathing with Kuroo’s heartbeat.

“You know I can’t,” Kuroo mumbles into his hair. 

He slowly untangles himself from Kenma and Kenma whines at the sudden lack of warmth. Kuroo bends down to sling his bag over his shoulder and Kenma sits up, pulling the blankets around him into a small nest. Walking over to him, Kuroo leans over to press a kiss to his lips. It’s short and soft, and he pulls back too soon for Kenma’s liking. 

“I’ll Skype you as soon as I get back to the dorm,” Kuroo tells him as he lingers in the doorway before leaving. 

Kenma says nothing. Instead, he falls back down and restarts the game on his PSP, curling into a small ball, in effort to ignore the empty space beside him and the small pulling on his heart.

 

 

The last week of summer vacation, Kenma goes to Miyagi. Kuroo spends the entire train ride fussing over him through text messages, despite the fact that Kenma has taken the bullet train before, just never alone. Kuroo's incessant texting throughout the entire ride makes him smile and quells the nausea in his stomach.

Before he's even able to ring the doorbell to Shouyou's house, the shorter middle blocker jumps onto Kenma and immediately pulls him into a hug.

"You made it here," Shouyou exclaims as he squeezes him. Kenma nods, following Shouyou as he's practically dragged inside of his house.

Wordlessly, he places his bag next to Shouyou's bed, allowing the enthusiastic second year to pull him from room to room.

Shouyou introduces him to Natsu, and anyone could see how much the two siblings adore each other. They end up playing a short game of volleyball with her, and Kenma can't help smiling as he plays with the two siblings. 

Despite the fact that the air is thick and heavy and hard to breathe in, as well as the feeling of his skin slowly peeling, Kenma's chest feels lighter than it has in weeks. By the end of the games (Shouyou had made them play more than one, as usual), Kenma’s cheeks are sore from smiling.

He then gets dragged out by Shouyou to the ice cream shop, where Karasuno’s former ace works part-time.

"Only for the summer," Shouyou explains while waving his hand around wildly. Asahi looks pale as he eyes Shouyou's three-scoop ice cream cone that's threatening to fall over any second now. "He usually works at Coach Ukai's and helps us train, but we're on a small break right now."

The way Shouyou says the word break makes it as though a break from volleyball is a bad thing, though Kenma supposes for him it is.

He ends up ordering two scoops, slowly licking his ice cream as he listens to Shouyou's enthusiastic chatter. He's so distracted that he ends up bumping into Karasuno's other tall, scary member.

Looking up, Kenma shrinks under the gaze of Tsukishima, who looks equally surprised to see him at the ice cream shop, before his expression morphs into something more neutral.

"Didn't expect to see you guys here," he says dryly, side-stepping Kenma as he walks into the shop.

Behind him, Yamaguchi casually knees him and Tsukishima scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. "Nice to see you," Yamaguchi says as he gently reaches for Tsukishima's hand to pull him forward to where Asahi is behind the counter.

Kenma quietly reaches for Shouyou's hand, smaller than the one that's he's use to. "Let's not bother them," he says as he gently tugs Shouyou outside.

"Bye Asahi," Shouyou exclaims before allowing himself to be pulled outside by Kenma. "Why are we–?"

"They're out on a date," Kenma mumbles as he continues to walk hand in hand with Shouyou.

"Oh," Shouyou flushes, pausing for a moment. "Hey, then if we’re getting ice cream like them, we're technically out on a date too, right?"

"If you want it to be," Kenma replies as he swings their arms back and forth.

"Won't Kuroo mind?" Shouyou asks as he tilts his head to the side. His ice cream is slowly melting in his other hand and Kenma is already mourning the inevitable loss.

He blinks at Shouyou. "Not really," he shrugs, licking his ice cream before it starts to melt on his fingers as well.

"Okay it's a date then," Shouyou grins at him as he drags Kenma over to the park. Despite the burning sun and the oppressive atmosphere, Kenma finds himself slowly smiling as well.

 

 

Sleeping next to Shouyou is a bit different from sleeping next to Kuroo. For someone so small, Shouyou's body takes up over half the bed. He has his arms thrown haphazardly to the side and his legs spread out. 

Kenma’s used to having blankets and pillows piled around him and Kuroo, curled into the older boy. With Shouyou there's barely any room on the bed, but this time it's not because of the pillows and blankets Kenma usually has.

Kenma steals Shouyou's covers immediately, since it seems as though the younger boy isn't going to be using them anytime soon. He arranges them so they're circled by a small nest of blankets and pillows before flopping down next to Shouyou. 

They end up just lying like that, not talking for once. Shouyou abruptly leans forward, pressing his lips to Kenma's. They're soft and dry and chapped, everything Kenma expects them to be. 

"Won't Kageyama mind?" he asks once Shouyou pulls back, blinking at him curiously. 

Shouyou flushes. "We actually aren't dating yet," he mumbles sheepishly as he looks down.

"Oh," Kenma says, wondering how they’re still not. 

"You seem lonely, Kenma," Shouyou half-whispers to him once they've fallen back into a small lapse of silence. "You have this _agghh_ look on your face and it seems like your heart is going a sad _ping ping_ all the time." 

Kenma says nothing. He blinks once at Shouyou and his chest squeezes, making it hard to breathe despite the cold air blasting from the air conditioner. 

"Aren't kisses supposed to help make wounds better?" Shouyou asks quietly. 

Kenma smiles wryly. "They're supposed to."

 

 

It's a regular day of practice and Kenma’s standing to the side of the court, blinking as he watches the rest of his team members play. Somewhere in his mind he registers the dull thudding of their sneakers on the volleyball court as they undergo another set of suicide runs. 

He watches them as he fiddles with his thumbs, waiting for them to be finished. Inuoka comes over halfway through the set and Kenma wordlessly passes him a water bottle.

"Are you going to join us?" Inuoka pants, face bright red. He tilts his head back as he drinks, shaking the sweat out of his hair. 

Kenma shakes his head. He looks down at his uniform, trying to ignore the hollow feeling that's been resounding inside of his chest for almost the entire day now.

"Okay then, I hope you feel better soon," Inuoka says before he runs back to where Yamamoto is yelling at one of the first years to keep up with the rest of the team.

He ends up joining them once they've finished their warm-ups. Practice feels even more tiring than usual. Every movement is taxing and Kenma wants nothing more than to go back home and curl up in his small pile of blankets.

"Are you still feeling sick?" Yamamoto asks him as they pass by one another on the court to switch sides for another practice game.

"Yeah," Kenma answers. There isn't any other word to describe the way he feels right now; sick is closest thing that comes to mind.

Somehow, he manages to make it through practice. By the end he feels thoroughly exhausted, like he could collapse at any moment. He takes his time in packing up his bag, each movement slow and methodical as he attempts to find his last remaining bit of strength.

"Hey Kenma," Lev calls from the court. "Will you set for me?" he holds out the ball, blinking innocently at him.

Kenma breathes in, the the weight in his chest becoming heavier, pulling him down towards the ground. "Not today, Lev," he mumbles as he zips up his gym bag. 

It's his usual response, the one that he always gives to Lev, except there must be something with the way he says it or the tone of his voice that causes Lev to come running over.

"Are you alright?" Lev asks, tucking the ball underneath his arm. Kenma nods, slinging his gym back over his shoulder as he begins walking to the exit of the gym. "You don't seem alright, though," he murmurs to himself, but Kenma hears it anyway.

"I'm fine," Kenma lies as he begins to walk down the hallway. He's aware of the giant second year keeping up with him down the entire length of the hall, and when Kenma reaches the front door Lev is still beside him.

He says nothing, not until they both get to the subway and Lev is still standing next to him. "Why are you following me?" he asks.

"Oh," Lev says suddenly, "I thought I'd keep you company, at least until you get home."

"Isn't your home the other way, though?" Kenma asks as he moves to find his usual seat on the subway, Lev trailing after him. Kenma slides into the end seat and Lev sits down right next to him, in Kuroo's old seat.

"It is, but I’d rather spend this time with you," Lev tells him and Kenma ducks his head to look out the window.

"You forgot your backpack at school," he mumbles, unable to keep the small smile off his face.

"What?" Lev squawks indignantly, "Why didn't you tell me when I was following you?"

 

 

Kenma can probably count on both his hands (and maybe a foot) the number of times he's actually called Kuroo since Kuroo had gone off to university. 

They don't call often, mainly because texting is easier and Kenma's never really felt a particular need to call Kuroo. They've never needed words, unspoken messages pass between them through the gentle nudges and knowing glances Kuroo sometimes gives him. Not to mention talking on the phone just feels _strange_ when they've gone entire days without talking to each other, just sitting next to one another in comfortable silence.

Once he gets home and makes sure that Lev is taking the right line home, however, Kenma collapses onto his bed and presses the speed dial.

Kuroo picks up almost immediately and the tightness in Kenma’s chest lessens slightly.

"Hey," Kuroo greets, and he's probably cradling the phone between his neck and shoulder. "Rough day?" he asks, voice taking on a slight teasing tone. 

“What are you doing right now?” Kenma asks.

“Right now?” Kenma nods, even though he knows that Kuroo can’t see him. “I’m eating leftovers from Chinese takeout night, since I was too lazy to cook last night and no one else in this dorm can actually make a decent meal,” Kuroo continues and it’s as if they aren’t speaking on the phone to one another.

"I just want to hear your voice," Kenma murmurs as he brings the blankets closer to him. He stares out of his window and his chest squeezes. 

"Okay then," Kuroo says and then proceeds to tell Kenma about his day, from the dirty looks his classmates gave him and Bokuto during their economics lecture (only because they decided to join an arm wrestling match, and it only escalated from there) to Oikawa's bad knee acting up once again during practice (the fight that followed between him and Iwaizumi was apparently something).

"I miss you," Kenma mumbles into his cellphone. His heart twists inside of his chest, and he can feel it getting somewhat harder to breathe.

Kuroo pauses in the middle of a retelling of a story involving Sugawara Koushi's seemingly innocent nature. "I miss you too," he tells him softly. 

Kenma buries his face into one of his blankets, trying to ignore the way his chest feels like it's about to burst at any moment. "Don't stop talking," he tells Kuroo. 

"Okay," Kuroo says and then he resumes talking once more. His voice soft, almost like a hushed whisper, but not quite. Kenma blinks and uses his free hand to dab at the corner of his eyes.

He stays like that, wordlessly listening to Kuroo’s voice as he takes deep, slow breaths, until he finally falls asleep for the night.

 

 

 _HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENMA!!!!!_ Shouyou texts him as soon as he wakes up on his birthday, quickly followed by a quick _am i the first?? i wanted to be the first so i stayed up until midnight but then i accidentally fell asleep TT_TT_

Kenma sends a quick reply to Shouyou, faint smile on his face. He rolls onto his back as he scrolls through various birthday texts, mostly from the second and third years on the volleyball team, with a few from first years, as well as from Bokuto and Akaashi.

His fingers move nimbly as he replies to each text, but they hover over Kuroo's most recent message.

_i'm coming over this afternoon_

Kenma accidentally drops his phone on his face.

 

 

Generally, Kenma doesn't like surprises.

He likes knowing what's going to happen ahead of time, so he isn't caught unaware. He doesn't like being abruptly thrust into new situations, unsure of what to do and how to act. Kenma likes routine; it's something relaxing and predictable, everything he likes rolled into one. 

Though, just because Kenma usually doesn't like surprises, that doesn't mean he isn't for occasional spontaneity.

The rest of the day seems to pass even more slowly than usual. Class drags on, practice going for much longer than usual (mostly because the team arranged a small surprise celebration afterwards, although Lev had actually let slip about the surprise a week prior).

Throughout the train ride back, Kenma counts down the seconds it'll take for him to reach his house. He looks out the window, watching the city race by as he idly taps his fingers against his legs.

"Hey," Kuroo greets when he gets home. He's seated on Kenma's front doorsteps, a small parcel on his lap, and two paper boxes beside him.

"Hey," Kenma echoes, sitting down next to him. Kuroo offers him his cup of bubble tea and Kenma wordlessly accepts it.

"Happy birthday," Kuroo tells him. Kenma looks down at the cup as he stirs the straw. The tapioca pearls swirl around and Kenma takes a sip. "I got you something," Kuroo says, and hands him the parcel.

Kenma puts down the drink to his side as he stares at the parcel in front of him. It's wrapped neatly, far too neatly. "You didn't wrap this, did you?" he half-accuses as he scratches at the small bit of tape.

Kuroo runs a hand through his hair, offering Kenma a sheepish smile. "No, I didn't. Turns out Sugawara is really good at wrapping presents."

Kenma says nothing, instead slowly peeling off the bits of tape. Kuroo takes in his hand, wadding it up into a small ball. Kenma methodically peels off the rest of the tape before carefully unfolding the wrapping paper, making sure that the edges don't rip.

Once he's finished he smooths out the wrapping paper on the concrete beside him, before meticulously folding the paper back up. He reaches for the bubble tea and takes a sip, inspecting the disc in his lap.

"I'm taking another programming class this semester," Kuroo explains and Kenma nods along as he sips. Kuroo had told him so when the semester had first started, it was one of the required classes for the engineering program he's in. "And we learned some coding, so I made a video game for you."

"Oh," Kenma says and something warm flares inside of his chest that's definitely not from the cooling bubble tea. "Thanks," he mumbles.

"It's still really simple because I can't do complex stuff yet," Kuroo tells him, and Kenma can feel his cheeks becoming warmer as well. "Bokuto helped me by testing it as well."

"It's a nice gift, Kuro." Kuroo's smile stretches even wider. "What's in those?" he nudges Kuroo's knee as he gestures to the two remaining boxes.

"These?" Kuroo grins at him. “Cake and apple pie," he answers as he nuzzles his nose into Kenma's hair. 

 

 

"You forgot your jacket," Kenma tells Kuroo over the phone the next weekend. He's sitting on top of his bed, with Kuroo's old Nekoma jacket wrapped around him. He lifts up his free hand and the sleeves hang off it, much too large.

"Did I?" Kuroo asks. 

"Yeah, you did," Kenma says as he pulls Kuroo's jacket around him a bit more tightly. "You left it in my room and forgot to take it when you left." Kenma picks at a loose thread on his blanket as he cradles his phone against his shoulder. 

"Oh," Kuroo hums on the other end. Kenma doesn't say how he neglected to tell Kuroo he forgot his jacket until after he left, on the weekend, but Kuroo probably already knows. 

"Do you want it back?" Kenma asks as he zips up the jacket. He'd often borrowed Kuroo's jacket when they were in high school together, preferring it to his own.

"No, you can keep it," Kuroo responds, "I know how much you like it anyway."

Kenma says nothing. Kuroo's jacket is already starting to lose its smell, but Kenma finds he doesn't mind as much as he thought he would. 

"I think I'm going to take the entrance exam for Todai," he says as he fidgets slightly.

"Are you?" Kuroo asks, "That's great," and Kenma knows that he's grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to do it," Kenma says. He's only recently come to the decision. 

Kuroo pauses for a moment. "It's a lot of studying, you know."

"I know," Kenma says and looks down at his blanket. "That's why I have you to help me, don't I?"

"Yes," Kuroo agrees fondly, "That's why you have me."

**Author's Note:**

> \+ i know that it's highly unlikely that kuroo, bokuto, iwaizumi, oikawa, daichi, and suga all went to the same college but...oh well im allowed a few indulgences  
> \+ as usual lots (and lots) of thanks to [tanakry](tanakry.tumblr.com) who helped beta this and caught my one million typos and made sure this was less of a mess than it is!! what would i ever do without you u___u  
> \+ i try not to think too much about the fact that kuroken have a one year differnce


End file.
